On Sunday, March 21 The Right Relief Inc held a virtual toast to Caregivers after a long year of pandemic living. Wanted to recap here and give some updates!
Kyle, my husband, was the special guest host and he set up a fun little basement "studio" for filming. It was a big "anniversary" for the NPO... 18 months since founding! Also, we shared some crazy meal total numbers from March 2020 to this March 2021 (an entire year of providing Relief during Covid).
In March 2020, we had provided 310 meals to caregivers. By March 2021 that number is at 1,062!! Our Facebook page likes went from 142 to 234 in that same timespan! And of course, the first 1,000 meal mark was reached on the way to 5,475!!
Three Caregiver Quotes stick out in my mind from the last 18 months and I shared them during the Live.
First, "This was so nice. I couldn't face another night of hospital cafeteria food." This one is a huge reason we do what we do. All caregivers need/want after a day of appointments or treatments with their loved one is sleep and a good, comforting meal. Hospital food or fast/frozen food just doesn't cut it. That's where The Right Relief Inc comes in. We give hugs to the belly!!
Second, "This was the first homecooked meal I'd had in two weeks." Caregivers who have loved ones in their homes don't have time to shop, prep, cook and clean up from a meal while also giving medicine, doing PT exercises, helping self care for their loved one and running a house (while also probably working!). Again, The Right Relief Inc. helps solve some of the to-do list by taking care of dinner.
Third, "We want to thank The Right Relief. We all enjoyed the lasagna dinner. Everything was delicious. My future son-in-law liked it better than his Italian grandmother's! Loved the pepperoni in it. I'm going to bring a big piece each to my parents tomorrow after work too. They will enjoy it and it will put a big smile on their face like it did mine. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness!" The idea that our lasagna rivals an Italian Grandma's just made me laugh! Love this quote!
Two top meal memories both came pre-Covid at Ronald McDonald House. The first was the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2019. We jumped when their was a group that cancelled for a family meal night just a few days in advance. We made 8 lasagnas with 4 volunteers and fed 70+ people that night. It was awesome! We also did a Sunday brunch there which was a ton of fun. Tons of eggs, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, bacon and yogurt parfaits. We had a much bigger volunteer group, about 10! This just reminded me of the Sunday breakfasts my Dad would make. Everybody loves breakfast!!
We also took some Facebook questions during the live video including...
"Can a caregiver receive a second meal?" The answer... YES! If there is a need... yes. We know caregiving is not a one night job. Relief is needed at many points throughout the caregivers time. Another good question was, "Can I sponsor a premade meal for someone?" The answer... YES! Here is the link. Lastly, we talked about what the hardest part has been over the last 18 months. It is honestly finding the caregivers! So many do not ask for or accept help. This is why we rely so heavily on Relief Squad members to let us know if they know a caregiver who could use some Relief. We highly encourage you to share our Facebook page with your friends to spread the word too! An informational flyer about The Right Relief Inc is also in the works to be used at clinics, doctor's offices, schools, churches...
The culminating item on the evening's agenda was the big Toast! Kyle popped a bottle of champagne on camera and we all raised a glass to Caregivers. We wanted them to know... WE SEE YOU! Help is HERE! Take a night off of Cooking! It's been a year of isolation and social distancing for everyone, but caregivers often had to do even more to protect their loved ones from getting sick. That extra caring deserves all the "Cheers" in the world!
We finished with a goal for the next year... 1,000 more meals! That would put us almost halfway to the 5,475 goal!! The best news is that those next 1,000 meals are already FUNDED thanks to several generous donors over the last few months!
It has been such a year... with all good things for The Right Relief Inc!!
